WILDBRATS
by Sandman Cometh
Summary: (Complete) The Titans must form an alliance with a young superteam from Springfield to stop Slade. But one member is cloaked in shadow and seems to know a little to much about everybody. PG for some language.
1. Default Chapter

WILDB.R.A.T.S  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the Simpsons or Teen Titans franchises. I do this out of respect for both SO NOBODY FREAKING SUE ME!  
  
Chap.1  
Observation  
  
Most of the time, Jump City was a normal city, with its fair share of insanity. However, there were times when the insanity factor shot up considerably. Right now, the city square insanity level was past code red. There the city's resident guardians, the Teen Titans were engaging in a battle with the three H.I.V.E graduates. The clash raged on as the team of alien, shape shifter, cyborg, half-demon, and highly trained vigilante battled the genius, witch, and the insanely strong one. (The reason for insanity becomes obvious doesn't it?)  
  
"Eat this, Titans!" yelled Mammoth as he hurled a minivan at his enemies. "Not hungry." Cyborg yelled back as his sound blaster tore the car to pieces. Mammoth roared and began to run towards his foe, but suddenly something wrapped around his legs. With a thud that visibly shook the ground, Mammoth fell. Snarling, he turned to see that a large green snake had wrapped around his legs. "Don't you have anything better to do?" he snapped. "Aww, but pounding you is so much fun." said Cyborg as he stood over him. Mammoth growled and suddenly pushed himself up with his arms, then brought them crashing down onto Cyborg, driving him into the ground. "You're right, but it's more fun to pound you." Mammoth snarled, as he ripped Beast Boy off his legs and flung him into a trashcan. The green one emerged a second later in human form, covered in garbage. "Aw man, why is it always a trash can?" he moaned.  
  
Suddenly, a high-pitched voice yelled, "Mammith we got it!" He quickly turned to see his teammates, Gizmo and Jinx running towards him with the other Titans in hot pursuit. "Don't let them get away!" yelled Robin, as he lobbed a Birdarang at them. But with a wave of her hand, Jinx caused the weapon to fly back, and subsequently explode. Raven quickly threw up a shield to protect the Titans. It only took a minute, but it gave the HIVE all the advantage they needed. "So long, snot-munchers!" yelled Gizmo, as he threw a small flat sphere down onto the ground. It spread out under the graduate's feet and floated into the air, taking the three villains with them.  
  
"Everybody ok?" asked Robin. "Other then the smell of rotten milk in my hair, I'm okay." Muttered Beast Boy. "As bad as that sounds, WILL YOU PLEASE GET ME OUT OF HERE?" yelled Cyborg, as he struggled to get out of the hole. "Calm down. They'll be hearing you in Gotham." Raven said dryly, as she levitated Cy out of the hole. "I don't get it." said Robin. "This is the third time this week those guys have been stealing electronics. What are they up to?" "Gizmo must be building something big." said Starfire. "I'd say so." agreed Cy. "The question is what?"  
  
While the Titans pondered the actions of their enemies, another force was pondering them. On the wall behind them, a shadow slowly moved over it, against the pattern of the sun. It moved closer and closer to the young heroes, as if it wished to suck them into its darkness.  
  
What the?.. thought Raven as she felt a presence moving towards them. The empath whirled around to see... nothing. "Is something wrong Raven?" asked Robin. "No, I thought there was something here." She answered. "And the complete silence gave it away why?" asked Beast Boy. "Perhaps you were hit on the head during the battle?" asked Starfire, who immediately began examining Raven's hair, in her typical effort to be helpful. "I think she's ok, Star." said Robin as he pulled the alien off her. "Let's go home and figure this out." "Sound's good to me." agreed Cyborg, who promptly turned in the direction of the Tower. The group turned and began to walk away.  
  
Meanwhile, the shadow moved back up the wall. Moving more and more rapidly, it scaled the city buildings, climbing up one wall as it leapt down another. Finally, it came to halt, on the roof of the WayneCorp. Building. There, it began to rise up, like steam off boiling water. The blackness twisted and turned, until it formed a shape like that of a man. In this shape, it called out, in a deep melodic voice, "It's done." With that, five other figures stepped away from the letter of the WayneCorp. sign. One of them, dressed in purple and blue with spiked hair asked, "Well?" "They're good." The shadow man replied. "Good enough to help us. But I still think it's a mistake to involve her." "My well-minded companion," said another of the figures, fingering the pens in his breast pocket, "you have questioned her involvement since the start of this escapade." "And you don't think I have reason to?" the shadow man retorted. "I've told you how dangerous she is." "Her cape is blue." said the shortest of the figures. Sighing, the tallest figure walked over to him and quickly gave a monstrous wedgie. "Maybe we should re-think this." remarked the blue-haired figure, as he adjusted his glasses. "We don't have any time." replied the purple one. "We need the Titan's help and we're going to have to get it, even if they don't want ours."  
  
Please Review! 


	2. Meeting of Legends

(Forgot to say before, this takes place between Forces of Nature and Divide  
and Conquer)  
  
Chap. 2  
Meetings of Legends  
  
The Titans spent the next few days cooped up in the Tower, trying to figure out what the H.I.V.E was up to. Or rather, Robin did, while Beast Boy and Cyborg played video games, Raven remarked on how mindless an activity that was, and Starfire attempted to coax Robin out of his room after the second day.  
  
Still no pattern. Robin thought as he looked over the list of stolen goods for what had to be the millionth time. Admittedly, it was a random list. Blenders, refrigerators neon lights, car engines, even a ton of sheet metal from a construction site. It seemed pointless, but in Gizmo's hands, any machine could become deadly. "Star was right; he must be building something with it." Robin muttered allowed. "But what on Earth could it be?" "Perhaps a break would help you discover it." said a voice from behind him. Sighing, Robin said, "Star, for the hundredth time, thank you, but I really want to figure this out." "But you have been in here for two days straight. You must rest." insisted the young alien. "What if all this constant strain causes you to forgot the location of your marbles and create another identity for yourself, that will endlessly commit evil deeds in an effort to bring answers?" Robin raised an eyebrow. "Ah, that's a bit much Star.." he began, but seeing how desperate she was to get him out, he said, "You know, maybe you're right." "Oh joyous day!" Starfire gleefully exclaimed. Grabbing the boy wonder's arm, she said, "Come, Cyborg has suggested we venture out for pizza!"  
  
However, Robin soon began to wish that he had remained in his room. The pizza place was packed to the rafters and the Titans were squashed in the middle of it. Being celebrities, everyone wanted to see them, or in most cases touch their costumes or gear. Worse still, the waiters were apparently out on strike so anyone who ordered had to fight their way through the crowd and back to get their food. "So who's idea was this again?" asked Raven, as the crowd once again began to crowd around them again. "Hey! How was I supposed to know?!" snapped Cyborg as he pulled his arm back from an over energetic fan. "Could've figured it out, but nooo." muttered Robin as he kept knocking hands away from his utility belt. Suddenly, a voice rang out, "Number 46!" "Isn't that or number?" asked Starfire. "I'm not getting it." said Beast Boy. And before he could respond, Cyborg found all eyes pointed at him. "Oh all right!" he snapped as he got up and began to fight his way out.  
  
"All right, make room! Hey don't touch that! No, I'm not a jukebox!" Cyborg crashed his way through an almost endless mob, but finally he reached the counter. "Number... 46!" he gasped, as he threw money down. The server then shoved four boxes of extra-large pizza into his hands, but blocked his view at the same time. "Oh dammit it all!" cried Cy, as he turned and tried to maneuver his way through the crowd. But before he had taken more then ten steps, he heard a voice yell, "Hey look out!" Cyborg's head whipped around, trying to locate the sound, but it was to no avail. Another body crashed into his own, knocking both of them to the floor and sending the pizzas flying. Cy looked up just in time get covered in a mess of tofu pizza. Angrily, he ripped the stuff off his head and through the mess of tomato sauce, took a look at the other person in the accident. It was a kid, about eleven or twelve, wearing a red-and- white shirt and blue jeans. He had dark black hair and even though he was inside was wearing wraparound sunglasses. Like Cy, he was covered in pizza toppings, although his were pepperoni and mushrooms. "Look where you're going, moron!" the kid snapped as he wiped tomato sauce off his face. "Me?! You started this, wearing those stupid shades in here. Whadda think this is, L.A.?!" "Might be, there's at least one jerk with an ego that size here." "Why you stupid, preppy looking.." "Glorified toaster oven.." Cy began to pull one arm back, as the kid did the same. The argument might have gone on further, but a voice yelled, "B, what in the name of God are you doing?" Both heads whipped around. Standing there was a ten-year-old, wearing and orange T and short blue pants. His skin was a yellowish color, and his hair was spiked up.  
  
"Hey it's not my fault, this jerk here..." began "B." "Aye Carumba, this jerk is Cyborg!" "B" did a full double take, taking in what seemed to be his first real look at Cy. "Oh dear God, I'm almost fighting a Titan!" he swore. Quickly, he got up and tried to wipe Cy clean. "I'm sorry dude, I was pissed off, I didn't see who you were." He said almost frantically. "Look," said Cyborg, grabbing the boy's arms, as he started to calm down. "Just calm down. We both overreacted, and the last thing I want is another fanboy touching me. Let's just pay each other for the pies and call it even." "Uh, sounds fine to me." Stammered "B: who promptly went for his wallet. While he looked, Cy turned to the other kid and said, "Thanks for stopping us." "No prob." The yellowish kid shrugged. "After you convince my dad not fight the lamp when he's drunk, nothing else is really that hard." Cy laughed and asked, "What's your name?" "Bart. Bart Simpson." 


	3. Meeting of Legends part 2: Big Bang

Before I start, thanks to J Potter() for reviewing this.  
  
Chap. 3  
Meeting of Legends part 2  
  
"What's taking so long?" moaned Beast Boy. "Cyborg's only been gone for ten minutes." Said Raven. "But I'm hungry now!" said Beast Boy. "I couldn't get any breakfast this morning." "But that isn't true," said Starfire. "I prepared Tammerian lothkar for us. You did eat it didn't you?" she asked, her eyes starting to mist up. Beast Boy stammered trying to think a good excuse, but then he was saved when Cyborg's voice rang out.  
  
"Hey guys, great news!" the metal Titan said as he returned to the table. "I found a way we can eat outside, in peace!" "Great Cy." Said Robin, but then he noticed the two young kids standing beside him. "Cyborg, did you bribe a couple of fans into giving us their seats?" he whispered. "Naw." replied the black haired kid, "We just wanted to apologize for the accident with the pizzas and this seemed like a good way." "Accident? What accident?!" cried Beast, who leapt across the table and grabbed Blackhair's shirt. "Don't tell me you ruined my tofu pizza!?" "Well, it was more of a mutual ruination, but yeah." He answered. Beast Boy swayed and then fainted. "Well, I see that he's the same way he is on TV." said the other kid. "Yeah." said Robin. "Well thanks for your help. What are your names anyway?." "Bart Simpson." he replied. The black haired one answered, "Blaine Monoth. So do we get introduced to you, or do we ignore it since we know who you are already?" "Of course not!" said Starfire. "Meeting friends is a pleasure that should not be ignored." The young alien floated over and gave both boys a quick, if not painful hug. "I am pleased to meet you, my name is Starfire." She said happily. "Very nice to meet you!" gasped Blaine. "Would you mind letting us breathe now?" "Oh, sorry." said Star, who quickly released them. Blaine quickly smoothed out his shirt, but Bart just stood there staring at Starfire. Little hearts floated around him, and he seemed to be in heaven. Starfire raised an eyebrow, but Blaine just said, "He's always liked you, hold on a sec." He then gave Bart a quick slap on the head. The hearts quickly disappeared. "What happened?" he asked. "Don't worry about it." said Robin who went over and shook both boy's hands. Raven just waved at them, but strangely, Bart was the only one who returned it. That's weird. Robin thought. Aloud he asked, "So where are we going?" "Our friends' have a spot on the park across the street." said Bart. "But what about our meal?" asked Star. "You wouldn't believe it, but apparently, someone ordered the same thing and never came to pick it up. So we'll just grab the pizzas before we go." At that, Beast Boy sprung back up, drool flowing from his lips. "Food!" he sighed as the group walked through the crowd, with Starfire asking Robin. "But I have just met him. How can he have always liked me?"  
  
The boys led the Titans outside, after grabbing the pizzas. There, they walked over to a large stone table where four other boys were sitting. "Hey Bart," one of them with blue hair and glasses yelled, "did you guys get...." The boy never finished his sentence. Quickly, he grabbed the others and got their attention towards the group coming towards them. "Aw no, not again." said Raven. "Once you get to know them, they're actually fairly mature." said Blaine. Moments later, the Titans were ambushed by the group of boys, each on trying to get an autograph, a memento, something form the heroes. "Guys!" yelled Blaine. "Can we please act with some dignity towards the superheroes?" That seemed to snap them out of it. Quickly, the four of them backed off. "Sorry," said glasses. "but this is better then the time I found the secret paste lot in the library." The Titans gave a long hard look at him after that, which caused him to blush. "Ha Ha!" cried a tall boy in a torn vest. Shaking his head, a boy dressed in orange shorts and a white shirt stepped forwards. "I apologize for my friends' actions towards you. My name is Martin Prince. These gentlemen are Milhouse Van Houton (glasses) Nelson Muntz (vest), and Ralph Wiggium (Eating a butterfly). The Titans then introduced themselves and the group sat down for some pizza.  
  
"So where are you guys from?" asked Beast Boy as he tore into a slice of tofu pizza. "A town called Springfield." answered Bart. "It's about forty miles downstate. We came here for a grammar rodeo." "A what?" asked Cyborg. "Our moms' made us do it." said Milhouse. "Yeah but you guys don't all seem..." started Robin, with a quick glance towards Nelson and Ralph. Blaine nodded, and said, "Nelson's our bodyguard and Ralph... well without us he'd get stuck in a rabbit hole again."  
  
Before anyone could ask what that meant, a huge explosion rocked the ground. "What the heck was that?!" cried Beast Boy leaping to his feet. "Seismograph says it was three blocks due east." Said Cy, looking at his arm read-out. "Sorry to cut this short guys." Said Robin. "Not at all. Go find that evil thing and kick its ass." said Blaine. With that, the Titans leapt off and headed towards the explosion.  
  
When the young team was completely out of sight, Blaine asked, "Do we follow?" "Of course." Said Bart. "We went through all this trouble to meet them. The least they can do is accept our help." "I hope so," said Ralph spitting out the butterfly. "cause I'm getting sick of doing this." "Hey, they might've heard of you as an idiot."said Nelson. "Come on guys, let's go." said Bart. Quickly, the young boys headed off in the direction of the Titans. 


	4. The Fall

  
  
If anyone's been reading this story and been bored, don't worry, this is where the action starts to pick up.  
  
Chap. 4  
  
The Fall  
  
The Titans raced through the city, knowing that anything that could cause an explosion of that size would probably have injured several people. Robin had already used his communicator to speak with the police and get them to send some ambulances. Finally, they reached the corner where the explosion had hit. "Get ready team," said Robin, drawing his staff. "we don't know what caused this and it may not be easy to take it down." "Ah, what's to worry?" said Beast Boy, running into the area. Seconds later, he was flung out by a huge beam of energy that slammed him into a wall. "Never... mind.." moaned the shape shifter as more than a few bricks fell onto him. Suddenly, an all too familiar high pitched voice yelled out, "Enjoy that snot-muncher?!"  
  
"It's the HIVE!" yelled Cyborg. "Not just them." replied Raven. She was right; standing beside the three villains were at least twenty large, extremely pissed off looking robots. "Well, now we know what they stole all that stuff for." said Starfire. "Check it out, dweebs; the HIVE Army!" sneered Gizmo, as he fiddle with a remote control. "Haven't you learned Gizmo?" Robin yelled back. "No matter how many toys you build, we'll always break 'em. Titans, go!" he yelled, as the group charged the robots. But before they could do anything, the druids shot several sharp blades at them. Raven quickly set up a shield to save them, but then Jinx caused a fuse to blow underneath it. Electricity shot through the Titans, and they fell to the ground. Sneering, Gizmo had his robots advance on them. The army hit the Titans with a huge wave of light energy, driving them back even further. "Oh man, this is too easy!" laughed Gizmo as the droids advanced further. Suddenly, there was a huge trumpeting sound, and a green elephant began to charge them. "Not today." said Jinx, who rerouted the electricity into her foe. The shock of the attack caused Beast Boy to revert back to human form and then fly back towards the wall.  
  
But before he hit, Beast Boy felt a hand wrap around the neck of his shirt and bring him to halt. "Need some help?" a voice asked. The green Titan looked down and saw that he was hanging from a lamppost. Turning to his right he that clinging to it and holding him up was.. "Blaine!? How did you.." "Right place, right time." The boy answered. "This isn't going well for you is it?" he then asked, as he slid down the post and lowered the both of them to the ground. "Well, not at the moment." agreed Beast Boy, as the sound of fresh explosions ripped through the air. "Well, don't worry Greenie, I think things are about to change." Before Beast Boy could ask what that meant, he heard Mammoth yell, "Stand still you blasted kids!" The green shape-shifter turned and saw Mammoth attempting to smash Bart and Milhouse. The two of them were dodging the blows almost effortlessly. Meanwhile Robin and the others, just noticing the involvement of the two of them, while battling the robots and Jinx screamed for them to get out. "Don't worry," yelled Bart as he narrowly dodged the giant's fist. "we're experts at this."  
  
"Dude, this is insane!" cried Beast Boy. "Not as much as you think." Said Blaine. "Take a look over at yon midget." Beats Boy looked at Gizmo and noticed Martin, Nelson, and Ralph creeping up on Gizmo. As the boy genius gloated, Martin suddenly grabbed his arms, while Nelson gave him the painful looking wedgie anyone had ever seen. Mindful of that pain, Gizmo released his grip on the remote for the robots, allowing Ralph to take and smash it to the ground. Without the device's signal, the robots shut off. "Huh?!" said Mammoth as he noticed what was going on. "You tricked me!!" he roared at Bart and Milhouse. He began to move towards them... and walked right into a park bench, thrown over by Raven. He flew back through the air, and landed on the ground out cold. "I don't know what's weirder," said Robin, as he stood up over the subdued form of Jinx. "the fact we won, or the fact that the ones who helped don't have any powers." "Indeed." agreed Starfire. "While you have acted recklessly, you have saved us all!" Blushing, the boys accepted her praise. Bart then spoke, saying, "Actually, about the whole powers thing.." But before he could finish, there was a snap of underwear and Gizmo's voice yelling out, "We're not done yet!" There was a whizzing sound in the air, and five circular pedants, suddenly attached themselves to the Titans' necks. Then masses of chains shot out, completely covering the group, who fell to the ground under their weight. The boys tried to help them, but the chains were on tight. "Greenie, now would be an excellent time to turn into something!" said Blaine as he struggled against the chains. Beast Boy's eyes narrowed in concentration, then widened in horror. "I can't!" he yelled. "What do you mean you can't?" asked Blaine. "I mean my powers are gone!" Beast Boy snapped back. "Mine too!" yelled Raven. "My systems shut down!" cried Cyborg. Starfire and Robin said the same thing. "Ha! When I build a trap, I build a trap!" sneered Gizmo.  
  
Suddenly, before anyone could do anything, Gizmo activated his wings and grabbed Starfire. Flying over a hundred feet in the air, he hovered and called down, "You better surrender now, or else I'm gonna show you my recipe for Tammerain Pancakes!" "Starfire!" yelled Robin in horror as he struggled against his bonds with renewed vigor. Bart and the others looked on in equal horror. "Oh man, is he serious?" said Milhouse, who had already began to bite his nails. "We can't take the chance he isn't." said Martin. "Without her powers, she doesn't have anyway to save herself and she'd never survive a fall from that height." "Isn't there anything we can do?" asked Ralph. "There might be." said Blaine, who took a look at Bart. At first the boy's face paled, as if doing anything was a great horror. But than, Blaine said, "You can do it and you will!" Bart's eyes steeled up and he nodded. Turning his head towards Gizmo, Bart yelled, "You're right, and we will surrender, but first we have to understand the procedure." "Huh?" said Gizmo, clearly not understanding. "See there's different ways of surrendering for different villains. We gotta find the right one. Blaine, whadda you think?" "I don't know, Bart." Blaine answered. "How do you surrender to a Barnum and Bailey reject,( as he pointed at Jinx) the missing link, (Mammoth) and a 'genius' who can't even figure out how to grow hair?!"  
  
The Titans looked at Bart in absolute shock. Jinx and Mammoth did the same. Gizmo however, reacted in pure rage. "Damn you to hell, I have a medical condition!" he screamed down at them. "Really?" asked Starfire. "What?!" "It's called sclapities... why the hell am I telling you?!" Screaming in rage, the boy genius hoisted Star up and threw her to the ground. As the air brushed past her face, Starfire's screams echoed in near perfect harmony.....  
  
Bum bum BUM!! How's that for suspense? I'll try to get the next chap up soon, but I'm heading on vacation, so it could be a bit... 


	5. Revalations

Thanks to the people who've been reviewing. Makes me sure that this thing isn't as stupid as I first thought it was.

Chap. 5

Revelations

Starfire screamed as she plummeted down to Earth. The Titans stood transfixed in absolute terror. Gizmo gloated from the sky. But one person did more then stare. The minute Gizmo had hoisted Starfire up, Bart had begun running. But instead of running to where the girl was falling, he ran towards one of the robots that had stopped near her. Even though it had stopped functioning, it remained upright, due to it's weight. When he was close enough, Bart leapt up, and using the robot for extra momentum pushed himself into the air. It seemed a pointless action, but then, the young boy balled his right hand into a fist, shoved it into the palm of his left hand, and turned it as if it was a key. Suddenly, there was a flash of purple light, and when it faded, Bart had changed. His shirt had changed to a light blue, and he wore a purple mask and cape. On his arms were leather biking gloves(the kind with no fingers) and metal bands with what seemed like launchers that ran to his elbows. Bart held up his arm, and with a burst, a cable and hook shot upward and buried itself into the top of a nearby building. Using the cable, he swung hard and launched himself upwards. For a moment, it seemed he would hit the side of the building, but with the cable, he was able to run up it's side. When he reached it's center, he leapt off, just to in time catch Star on her way down. Retracting the cable, Bart bounced off a nearby building, swung off a pole, and landed in the center of the street, the girl clutched in his arms.

For a moment, everyone was speechless. Then finally, Beast Boy managed to spurt out, "What just happened?" "Long story." answered Blaine. "You'll hear it later." Gizmo however cried out, "I don't care how you did that, you're gonna die for it." "I don't think so." replied Bart, who handed Starfire over to Nelson, who put her with the rest of the Titans. "Maybe, but if I don't get you, they will." sneered Gizmo. Bart turned, and saw that Mammoth and Jinx had gotten up and were walking towards him. "You look new." said Jinx. "What's your name, before we smash you?" "Bartman." The purple one replied. "And you know what?" said Blaine, appearing next to Bartman as the other boys surrounded him. "He's not the only one you should worry about. Lemme give you the introduction." The young boy made the same motion with his hands that Bart had. This time, black-blue fire shot out of his hands and surrounded his body. Suddenly, it hardened and became blue armor that covered the boy's entire body. A metal cape drifted down from his shoulders and he reached behind it and drew a long sword from his back. Balancing its weight in his hands, the armored figure said, "Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a man of wealth and taste." Shifting into a defensive position, he finished, "But you can call me Nightstalker." Milhouse then made the motion, as waves of what seemed like pure sound covered his body and left him in red tights and cape, purple boots and gloves, and a red mask behind his glasses. "The Scarlet Whimpernel." he said. Martin and Ralph followed suit, as Martin's electric wave left him in a green and yellow suit with an owl-like mask. Ralph's body became entrapped in ice, which then shattered, revealing a figure dressed in pure blue and white, with a cape and white bear mask that covered his entire face. "Neuron and Polar, respectively." said Bartman. Finally, Nelson covered himself in flame, and became cloaked in a red-white-and blue ensemble, with black boots and a weird symbol that crisscrossed around his chest in an X. "The one, the only, Heatstrike." said Nightstalker. The group stood together, looking as though they could fight the world and win. "You know who are alone." said Bartman. "But together, we're called.... The WILDB.R.A.T.S.!"

The three villains stared for a minute, then laughed. "What the hell kind of name is that?" laughed Mammoth. "You'll find out soon enough." answered Nightstalker. "'Case our first act in Jump City is to paint the streets with your teeth." Brandishing his sword over his head, he said, "And now, let the large and highly destructive battle begin with the utterance of a corny, yet some how essential catchphrase!" Taking his cue, Bartman yelled, "WILDB.R.A.T.S, ROCK 'N ROAR!"

Sorry, no time to write more, but I've got a great fight mapped out. You'll see it soon.


	6. The Large and Highly Destructive Fight S

Just got back from vacation, but my computers' been down a few days. Thankfully I was able to use it today, so enjoy the new chap!

Chap. 6 

The Large and Highly Destructive Fight Scene

(Followed by some Light Conversation)

The B.R.A.T.S charged the H.I.V.E members, who instantly charged right back. They knew from their training that they were strongest when they worked together, so the young villains expected a quick battle against these small and seemingly harmless kids. But before they could bring any of their strategies to bear, Bartman yelled out, "Not today dudes! Plan D, B.R.A.T.S!" With that, the purple clad warrior and the Scarlet Whimpernel leapt up and knocked Jinx away from her partners. Mammoth and Gizmo tried to follow her, but fireballs kept Gizmo off balance, and a speeding green and yellow blur did the same for Mammoth. Suddenly, the once tightly-knit H.I.V.E unit became three separate units, each with a pair of unknowns surrounding it.

Mammoth however, was the exception to the rule. The only foe that he saw was Neuron. Remembering his foe's previous nerdy appearance, Mammoth smirked and said, "Oh this will be sweet." Grabbing a piece of rubble, he hurled it at the young boy and watched it hit... absolutely nothing. "What the hell?" he snarled. "Forget where your target was, did we?" said a voice from behind him. Mammoth whirled around to see Neuron standing a few feet behind him. Roaring, the giant brought his fists down right on the hero, smashing the pavement right to the sidewalk. Smiling, Mammoth stood up, only to hear, "You're not very good at this are you?" Enraged, Mammoth saw that Neuron was now leaning up against a streetpole, looking as if he hadn't a care in the world. "How the hell do you do that?" Mammoth yelled as he began to race towards his foe. But suddenly, his legs locked into to place. Mammoth flexed every muscle in his body, but he could not move an inch further. Looking down to see what was wrong, he gaped in horror. His shadow had somehow reached up and wrapped his legs in what looked like a black shroud. As he looked on the, the villain realized that he could barley feel his legs now. Suddenly, part of the shadow began to twist upward and as Mammoth looked on, it formed itself into a strange, demonic head. But then the head spoke, and spoke in the voice of the Nightstalker; "Here's a tip, bro." It said. "We chose names that reflected what we could do. See, I'm Nightstalker and I can control all kinds of darkness.. including shadows. Can you guess why he's called Neuron?"

For once, the lights actually came in Mammoth's head. "He's as fast as thought as thought?" But the head cringed. "Oh I'm sorry sir! That was only half of the answer. But don't worry, you'll still make it to the lightning round." As he said that, Mammoth felt the hairs on his neck stand up. Turning away from the head, Mammoth saw that Neuron was now facing him. However, the young boy's body was glowing white, and when his eyes popped open, they crackled with electricity. "You see, the human brain produces over six megawatts of electrical energy." Neuron cried out. "But I produces three times that, and that's enough to power the whole city. So you see, I am not only as fast as thought, I am also as strong as one!" With that, Neuron pointed at Mammoth and a huge bolt of electrical energy shot out of his fingers. Mammoth tried to run, but the Nightstalker held him tight, until the very last second, when he suddenly vanished. That did Mammoth no good, as the blast hit him full on. He screamed as the electricity flowed through his body and then, burned and smoking, he fell to he ground, unconscious. Neuron paused, let the energy dissipate, then sped over to his foe. When he reached him, the Nightstalker reformed out of the shadow next to, clad once again in his blue armor. "Think I gave him too much?" asked Neuron, as he nudged Mammoth's head with the tip of his boot. "Enhh, maybe." shrugged his partner. "Dude like him, he'll wake up soon enough. Of course, if he remembers his name, that'll be something." "Kinda like the time I shocked Bart's dad out of his last heart attack." "Yeah. I told Homer not to eat a bacon, ham, butter, and egg sandwich and wash it down with grease." "Should we be helping the others now?" "Nope. It's our turn to impress the Titans, Neuron. Let 'em see what we can really do."

"OK, maybe we should set the Titans loose now!" yelled Polar, as he dodged a blast from Gizmo's backpack proton cannon. "Can't." replied Heatstrike, who quickly returned the blast with a wave of pure heat energy. But before the blast hit it's target, Gizmo's spider legs shot out of his pack and carried him up a wall. "Better go back to target practice, kruzloids!" sneered the boy genius as he climbed up the wall, preparing to get a better view on his targets. "Ya know, I'm really starting to hate this guy." said Polar, as he pulled himself up. "He's more annoying then Skinner's mom is to Skinner on earwax day." agreed Heatstrike, who suddenly noticed a large, empty metal billboard near Gizmo's new perch. "But I think I have an idea..."

Gizmo quickly prepared his cannon, knowing that with his legs to carry him, he'd be moving too fast to be caught. "This is gonna be sweet!" Suddenly, an ice slide formed right underneath Gizmo, and Polar slid up. "Actually, crime is mostly a sour business." The young hero replied. "Dude, that was lame." said Gizmo. "My kitty says it's cool." replied Polar, seemingly hurt by this admission. Taking advantage of his foe's distraction, Gizmo fired his cannon, destroying the ice slide and sending Polar back to earth. In seeming desperation, he fired off two blasts of cold that were aimed at the spider legs, but went wide. Luckily, Polar managed to make another slide for himself before he hit the ground. "Aww.." sneered Gizmo in a sickeningly sweet voice, "did the baby miss his shoty?"

"Not weally." replied Polar in the same tone. Suddenly, Gizmo realized he was sliding down the wall. Looking to his sides, he realized that his back legs were frozen solid. Panicking, he struggled to reactivate the motors, but the cold was too extensive. Grasping for support, he fell off the wall and through a bus stop, the frozen legs shattering on the way down. As Gizmo tried to shake off the impact, Heatstrike stepped in front of him. "So, where you headed?" he asked nonchalantly. Enraged, Gizmo snapped the remaining legs at him, but Heatstrike caught them in both hands. His gloves glowed bright red and within seconds, the legs were reduced to a pile of metallic goo. Gizmo was so shocked that he didn't even feel Polar ripping the backpack from him until it was in Heatstrike's hands. "No wait.." he cried, but the backpack joined his legs minutes later on the floor. "Now, will you this quietly, or do I have to melt anything else on you?" asked Heatstrike his hand starting to glow. Gizmo, mumbling angrily, shook his head and allowed himself to be restrained. If he had looked up, he would have noticed that the billboard above his perch had been atomized clean and shone like a second sun. He would have also noticed that it was bent slightly at the sides, as to reroute beams of light in another direction...

Meanwhile, Bartman and Whimpernel were having a difficult time battling Jinx. Of course, it was difficult for anyone to fight someone who could make the ground beneath you explode with a thought. The two heroes had to keep weaving and bobbing every few seconds to avoid the exploding pavement, flying garbage, and whatever else that the young witch threw at them. "This is nuts!" yelled Whimpernel, as he found temporary shelter behind a large chunk of street. "How can we fight her if we can't even touch her?!" "You don't, moron!" Jinx yelled in glee as she caused the street chunk to move and got Whimpernel in her sights again. "A little help would be good!" the red one cried as he began to run from the lethal wave of barrages once again.

Bartman however, had been watching Jinx go after his teammate, and it had told him all he needed to know. "Scar, use Pattern 4!" He yelled out. Whimpernel reacted immediately. He did a complete 180 and started running towards Jinx. The barrage followed him. As he got closer, Jinx realized what he seemed to be doing. With an effort, she caused the road to raise up and act like a shield to protect her She heard the barrage smash against the shield and went out to get her enemy. "Nobody tries that sort of thing on me, dweeb." She muttered. Suddenly, Whimpenel stepped right in front of her, his arms outstretched. "Finally grow some courage?" she sneered as she prepared to launch another attack. But then something happened. The world began to spin around her. Jinx started to feel sick, and there was some kind of low buzzing in her head. Putting her hand to her head, she tried to shake it off, but instead it increased. Jinx fell to her knees, unable to keep standing. Suddenly, she hear a voice behind her say, "I noticed you have to see what your affecting to work it properly. So I had Scar here try an old stand-by. He's using an ultrasonic frequency to destroy your sense of balance. Works good doesn't it?" Jinx turned and saw Bartman standing behind her. He waved, and then threw the hardest punch that Jinx had ever felt.....

"Well done.' said Bartman, a few minutes later as the BRATS met in the center of the street. Each of the HIVE was there, and were either unconscious or restrained. "So when do the cops get here?" asked Heatstrike, holding Gizmo back with one fiery hand. "They're about two blocks away." said Whimpernel. "They'll be here in a few minutes." "Damn, you hear even better then I do." said Nightstalker. "Hey, does anyone feel like we forgot something?" "You know, I do." replied Polar. Suddenly a voice rang out, "YEAH YA DID, AND YOU'D BETTER GET US OUT OF THESE THINGS NOW!" "Come on, let's get 'em out of those things before he pops a gasket." Said Bartman. As they walked towards the captive Titans, Nightstalker remarked, "You know, Cy probably does have a gasket in there someplace."

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting." said Bartman, as he knelt by Starfire and slipped his hand behind her pendant. He then slammed his other fist into it, which caused it to shatter and the bounds to fall away. "Well, you did manage to defeat the HIVE." said Star, as she stood up. "Was hoping you noticed that." said Nightstalker, as he used his sword to cut away Raven's chains. As Polar and Neuron freed Robin and Cyborg, the Titans' leader asked, "How did you get those powers?" "All in the ring." said Bartman, pointing to the one on his left ring finger. "But who built them?" asked Robin. "I did." Replied Nightstalker. "Used Crackerjack prizes and thritieth century morphing technology. "How the heck did you get that?" asked Beast Boy, as Heatstrike freed him. "Well, if you dig into a box of Crackerjack....." But Bartman interrupted. "Actually guys, we'll tell you later. See we didn't come to the city for the grammar rodeo." "Shocker." replied Raven dryly. "We've got some information you might want to hear about. And barring that, we might just be offering an alliance." "What's this info you've got?" asked Robin crossing his arms. Looking over at the Hive and the cops leading them away, Whimpernel said, "This probably isn't the best place to talk. What about your Tower?" At that, Robin raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything, Raven said, "We barely even know who you are. Why should we let you into our home?" "Well, for one thing, we did manage to save your friend from becoming street pizza, as well as save the rest of you from the three stooges over there." snapped Nightstalker. "Calm down." said Robin. "I might let you in but first I need to know what this information is about." "An old friend of yours. In fact, he's a mutual acquaintance. His name is Slade."

That was all it took. Robin's eyes narrowed and he said, "The Tower's this way." "Oh don't bother." said Nightstalker, as he began to punch a code into the computer on his wrist. "We've got a ride and it should be here in 5...4...3..2.. step away from the curb please...1..now." Suddenly, there was a screech of rubber and a huge red car screeched into view. It's back wheel spun around and it did a full turn right into a curb parking space. Four doors popped open, but the Titans were stuck staring at the car itself. It was easily half the length of a limo, but it's front and back looked like they came off a 50s Thunderbird. The entire paint job was bright red and the front window was curved back, like a snowmobile visor. "Built this baby too." said Nightstalker as he lovingly ran a hand over it. "Out of an SUV, stretch limo and Thunderbird. Installed jets, triple steel frame, weapons system, and remote control." Pointing to his computer as he said it. "So, who wants in first?"

There we go! Hope you enjoy it and don't worry, they'll be more soon.


	7. Storytime

At long last,( or at least since I posted this story) the origin of the WILDB.R.A.T.S! Who is Nightstalker? How did they get their amazing powers? How did they get their name? What the hell does that name mean? All will be answered here! Chap. 7 

Storytime

"This has got to be the sweetest ride I've ever seen!" gaped Cyborg as the BRATS' car sped through the city streets. "How did you ever get the interior like this?" Indeed the inside of the car was more impressive then the outside. The seats had been taken from a stretch limo and rearranged so that they fit along the side and opened into the outer doors. In the center of the car, there was a computer layout that could be accessed from any point in the back. The front seats were separated by a wall with a retractable window that was made of bullet proof glass. "Lots of work and searching through junkyards." said Nightstalker as he leaned over from the front passenger seat. "What?" he asked a second later, when he noticed that everyone was staring at him with some slight fear. "Um, who's driving the rocket-car?" asked Cy. "I am." said Bartman, as he made a sharp left. "A ten year old's driving this thing?!" said Raven in disbelief. "Don't worry." explained Heatstrike. "He always drives." "When I built this thing, I made the controls so simple, that even Greenie could drive it safely." said Nightstalker. "Hey!" yelled Beast Boy. "You know, maybe you explain to the guys how you did that." said Neuron suddenly. "We did promise them an explanation and all." "Good point." Agreed his armored companion. Turning to the Titans, he said, "So which story would you like first- the info we have, or the exciting origin of the WILDB.R.A.T.S?" Robin opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Star answered, "I would be most interested in your origin, since it would the polite answer to your question." "Okay then." said Nightstalker

"Before I met the guys, I was mostly on the road. I've never really had the traditional family. Maybe its because of all the stuff I've managed to get over the years. Anyway, one piece of my collection was something I got from a weird old dude in a little shop in Chinatown. I thought it was just a book, but it was more. It was a tome of hundreds of ancient spells. The first one I figured out turned out to be a time-travel spell, that sent the user 1000 years in the future." "So that's how you got to the thirtieth century." said Robin. "Yep. Anyway, after I figured out where I was, and a return spell, I decided to use the resources at my disposal. I spent months learning about the technology and devices of that time, eventually returning to the exact moment that I had left in this time. I kept traveling though, and that brought me to Springfield."

Nightstalker paused then, and shook his head in brief amusement. "I tell you man, Springfield is unlike any other town on the planet. The populace are the laziest people in the world, and with respect to the guys, possibly the dumbest. But I liked it anyway. It has its charms if you're willing to dig. Anyway, that's where I met Bart and the guys. After some time, Bart tried to get family to let me stay with them. His mom took some time to think about it, but once I brought his dad a six-pack, he thought I was the son he'd never had. A few weeks passed, and then one day things got interesting. The nuclear plant was going through meltdown for the 60th time in history, but this time, they didn't know if they could stop it. Thanks to my trip through time, I knew enough to repair any kind of damage but there was one other problem. The news eventually said that a rat had been infected by the radiation and became a monster. I knew I couldn't take him down myself, so I told the guys everything. Having been through the hard world of fourth grade, they believed every word. Then of course there was the question of what to do. Then I remembered that I had taken some special morphing technology for the future. It allowed the user to acquire powers that best fit his personality and attributes. I quickly adapted them into six Crackerjax rings (I always thought that the whole Green Lantern thing was cool) and with that we became the kick-ass heroes you see now. We went out, beat the crap of the rat and fixed the plant. After that, Milhouse came up with a name for us- WILD Bullying Rowdy Adolescent Team. And that is how it all happened."

Nightstalker finished and looked at the Titans, waiting for their reaction. Starfire was the first to speak. "A most impressive story, but tell me, why did you not return to your journey of pointless wandering?" "Simple. I'd just given five kids technology from the far-flung future. No way in hell I was gonna leave them alone with it." "They couldn't have been that bad, if you gave it to them in the first place." said Beast Boy. "Dude, I had to boost Ralph's intelligence because the first thing he ever said to me was 'My nose makes it's own bubble-gum.' and then he showed me." The Titans grimaced and Polar yelled, "Oh can't you ever tell another story?!" Before Nightstalker could answer, the car suddenly came to halt. "This the right spot?" asked Bartman. "I told the it was the docks." said Robin. "Why did you go to the cliffs?" "Well, that is your Tower out there isn't it?" replied Bartman. "No offense, but do you see any other giant Ts in the water?" said Raven. "Then we're fine." said Bartman, and with that, he began to back the car up. Then, when he was far enough, Bartman began to rev the car's engine. Suddenly, it dawned on the Titans what seemed to be going on. "Are you crazy?!" yelled Cyborg. "There's no way you can make the jump!" "Don't worry, we've done this before." said Nightstalker. Then, noticing that Raven's eyes had started to glow, he said, "I wouldn't do that Rae. If any outside force tampers with the car, it explodes in five seconds. The same happens if you break the windows." The empath's eyes quickly went back to normal, just as Bartman let go of the brake and sent the car over the edge, with five Titans screaming in the back.........

"You can open your eyes now." Heatstrike said a few minutes later. "And if you'd get off my lap, that be appreciated." Slowly, Beast Boy opened his eyes, expecting to see whatever is beyond this world. Instead, he saw the inside of the car, with the BRATS sitting calmly in their seats, while the other Titans had assumed various crash positions. "Why aren't we dead?" he asked. "Oh forgot to tell you." said Nightstalker. "I gave the car a hover conversion about a week after I built it." Beast Boy stuck his head out the window to see what he was talking about. Outside, he saw the car had sprouted wings, and the hood had streamlined to allow better flight. The tires had retracted to underneath the car, and were glowing white. "Was there a reason you didn't tell us the car could fly?!" snapped Cyborg as Beast Boy climbed back in. "It was more fun this way." replied Whimpernel, as the car soared on to Titans Tower and landed on the roof. The doors opened and the BRATS walked out, then watched as the Titans stumbled out. "So," asked Whimpernel after the Titans had gotten their legs back, "you guys have anything to eat?"

Minutes later, the BRATS were romping through the main room of Titans Tower, looking as thought they had finally made it to the big time. Still, they were kids, and as such were causing as much destruction as anything else. "No, not the Gamestation!" yelled Beast Boy in horror. "I wasn't gonna do anything to it." said Heatstrike as he put it down. The others headed for the fridge, only to reel back in horror at the blue, moldy food inside. "Dear God, do you people ever clean this thing?" yelled Neuron as he slammed it shut. "Tell me again how these guys saved us?" Robin said to Raven as the two of them watched from afar. Raven however, only gave them a glance, then said to Robin, "I still say this was a bad idea." Sighing Robin said, "Raven, you've got to trust somebody. And they did save us after all." "That could've been a trick. Look, maybe I am being paranoid, but I just get a really bad vibe off of Nightstalker. Besides don't you think that a kid stumbling onto all that stuff is little much?" Before Robin could respond, Bartman said, "Hey guys, we'd better shut down." "Huh?" asked Starfire. "Oh, sometimes the rings short if we stay in one gear too long." He explained. With that, he reversed the motion that had initiated his change. With a flash of purple, Bartman disappeared and Bart Simpson remained. One by one, the others reversed their changes, returning to normal. All that is, except Nighstalker. Fingering the ring on his hand, there seemed to be an air of weariness about him, as though he was about to start another age-old torment, that had somehow become a way of life. "Come on dude." Nelson urged. "They've seen weirder then you." The armored hero nodded and slowly re-did his process, the blue-black flame covering him again. "Ok now what was so... HOLY CRAP!" yelled Beats Boy as the flames parted.

The black haired ten year old boy was gone. In his place, stood a figure covered in black fur. His hands were tipped with black nails. Two fox-like ears stood form the tops of his head and his mouth jutted out slightly, revealing his pointed teeth. His shirtsleeves bulged, as though something was folded up there. He was even a foot taller. The sunglasses were still there, but he removed them, revealing red eyes with dark black pupils. This man-bat waited about three minutes, before saying in a deep melodic voice, "I'm not human. Get over it." "Uh sorry," said Robin, "but you kinda freaked us out there..." At this, the figure threw his head back and laughed in a warm and very human tone that calmed the others down a bit. "Dude, come on!" he said. "Aside from being the inspiration for the guy who trained you, you live with an alien, a cyborg, a green shape-shifter, and a half-demon and _I _freak you out?" "True but... half-demon?" Smiling, the figure pointed at Raven. "Doesn't make her evil or anything, but trust me, when you've dealt with demons for as long as I have, you never forget the stink. Most people don't even notice it, but if you know there to smell, its there." "Gee thanks Blaine." snapped Raven. "Not my name kid." "Then what is it?" asked Starfire, immensely curious. "I don't really have a name. But the guys call me Brett, so that'll work." "OK then Brett, the just tell me something." said Raven angrily. "How many years of demon experience do you have?" "Hmm. Let's see, carry the one, divided by half, times six.... 500 years next April." he answered. "But... how is that possible?" "Hey, you're the one who comes from Azarath. You tell me." "Wait a minute." said Cyborg. "You mean Azarath is a place? I always thought it was just some magic word you said." "It's both actually." replied Brett. "Azarath is a pocket dimension where great scholars escaped to hundreds of years ago after they became disillusioned with the violence on Earth." "How do you know that?" asked Raven. "Oh, I know a bit about all you guys. I always like to brush up on the people I'll be working with." "Wait, what do you mean brush up?" asked Robin.

"Time me." Brett said to Milhouse. Turning back to Robin, he began talking. "You were born in a traveling circus. Your parents were acrobats and when you were old enough, they trained you on the trapeze. You became a complete act and performed with them till you were 12. Then when the circus manager wouldn't pay off a underworld criminal, the crook cut the trapeze ropes, which snapped just as your parents were swinging each other to the platform. Very sorry to read that. Anyway, Batman took you in, trained you and eventually, you broke away to lead the Titans." Turning to Starfire, Brett continued. "You were born on Tammaran as the eldest princess, and as such heir to the throne. But when you were 14 you and sister were captured by space pirates, who sold you to genetic scientists. There, they managed to alter your natural ability to convert solar energy into flight into the power to fire starbolts. You and your sister kept your flight abilities and eventually escaped. Then you came to Earth. Cyborg, your father was a scientist who wanted to breach dimensional boundaries, but he went too far and created an explosion that destroyed most of your body. He rebuilt you with cybernetics. Beast Boy, your parents were scientists working in Africa trying to cure a rare disease. One day you were bitten by a green monkey and contracted the disease yourself. To save your parents tried an experimental formula made out of animal DNA. It worked, but you turned green and gained your powers. Raven.... I think I've told enough about you for now."

"Two and a half minutes." said Milhouse. "So did I miss anything?" asked Brett. But the Titans just stared. "What the hell gives you the right to look around in our past?" said Robin angrily. "Hey man, its common knowledge if you know where to look. Besides, all I looked up was how you got your powers, nothing else. Is that really so bad? I mean hell, they make whole comic books dedicated just to origins." Robin swallowed this for a minute, then said, "OK, but don't ever do it again." "Deal." agreed Brett. "Now, how about some info on a certain master criminal?"

And that's that! Hopefully, longtime Titans fans see the joke about origins in there.


	8. Origins and Guitars

Chap. 8

Origins and Guitars

"Okay, what do you know about Slade?" asked Robin. "From what we learned, he used to be a sergeant in the army back in '69." answered Bart, coming up from the couch. "He was an incessant perfectionist, always looking for any way better himself. Then the army came out with some sort of super-drug that was supposed to increase a soldier's senses and make him unstoppable. However, they hadn't tested it on humans yet and they needed volunteers. I think you can guess who joined up. Anyway, the drug backfired. Slade went into a coma for weeks, and when he woke up, he was erratic and dangerous. Eventually, those side-effects died down, but as far as the scientists could tell, the drug had failed. Of course, that's he wanted them to think. In truth, Slade's speed, strength, and all his other senses had been amped up. But it also caused him personality to take a much darker turn. He left the army and over the course of the next few decades built himself a considerable empire. Eventually, the army figured out what was going on, and sent an assassin to kill Slade. He failed, but he did manage to take out Slade's right eye. His other senses more then make up for the loss though. Anyway, Slade believes the best way to gain power is to take out the heroes in cities one at a time. He thought we posed a threat, and he spent the last couple years trying to take Springfield." "Thankfully, those people are crazy enough to drive even Slade off." Said Brett.

"Eventually, Slade turned his attention to Jump City. We don't know why, but something about you guys seems to interest him. However, there might be one thing here to interest him more." "And what's that?" asked Robin. Brett picked up the conversation then. "This might be it." Suddenly, Brett opened his hand and the image of a large, circular gem appeared floating above his open palm. "Oh.. what is it?" asked Starfire, staring at the image in wonder. "It's called the Cytorian Gem. Supposedly, it has inert magic that can turn someone into the 'ultimate warrior." "So? I don't think that Slade is interested in a magic rock." said Robin. "Neither did we, but then Slade stole everything he supposedly needs for the ritual. All he needs is the gem, and that'll be coming to the museum in a few days. Luckily, the thing passed through Springfield a few days back, and I managed to plant a bug on it. If Slade or any of his droids come for it, we'll know." "All right." Said Robin. "Then it probably makes sense for you guys to stay here for a while. That why when Slade goes after it, we can go together." "Well, if you're sure.." began Brett, but then the other BRATS began to yell their acceptance. "I'll try to keep 'em in line." was all Brett could say.

With the BRATS living with them , the Titans found their Tower slightly cramped for the first time. Besides that, most of their roommates had some difficult habits. Bart constantly played practical jokes, including putting a small stink bomb in Raven's room that almost got him sent to an unknown dimension. Milhouse had to constantly medicate himself for various problems, Martin continually talked about science that no one wanted to hear about, and Nelson and Ralph hogged the video games, causing Beast Boy and Cyborg to nearly kill one another in boredom. But since Slade hadn't made any kind of move, all they could do was wait. But then one day, one of the BRATS earned his keep...

"Come on, you've been on for an hour!" whined Beast Boy as he begged from his hands and knees. "And your point is?" asked Nelson, as he kept on playing. "Look either give us the game or we're gonna cripple your freaking hands!" yelled Cyborg, as he tried to wrest the controllers away from Ralph. Meanwhile, Bart was handing Starfire a can of nuts (yes it's an old joke, but she is an alien). "Thank you Bart, these cashews look most delicious." She said as she opened up the can. Of course, then a bunch of paper snakes popped out, causing Star to scream in surprise. Bart however, laughed hysterically. "I didn't think this was funny anymore, but I was wrong." He said between breaths. Star just glared at him. Meanwhile, Martin was explaining to Robin the idea of chemical fusion. "So you see, if the core of the acid is simultaneous fused with the properties of the amino, then but carrying the..." "Please shut up." moaned Robin as he covered up his ears. Suddenly there was a loud, snotty, inhaling noise as Milhouse took yet another nasal spray. "Uh, can I talk to you guys for a minute?" asked Raven, motioning to the other Titans. The five teens quickly formed a huddle. "Look, I don't care if they know about Slade, they can't stay here." snapped Cyborg. "Yeah, they're driving me crazy." agreed Beast Boy. "Hey I can't stand it either, but we can't let Slade steal the gem and they're our only link." hissed Robin.

"Why don't we ask Brett to do something with 'em? I mean, he gave them their powers, they've got to listen to him." Beast Boy whispered. "Wow. That's actually a good idea." Raven said. Breaking up the huddle, Robin called out to the group, "Hey, do you guys know where Brett is?" "I think he's outside training." Nelson replied, never taking his eyes of the video screen. "Training?" Cy asked. "Yeah, he does this every day." Bart said, coming off the couch to move over to the Titans. "I'm sure I can show you where he is. He tries to change location every day, but I think I can show where he is now." "Then lead the way." Robin said, gesturing for the boy to do just that.

Bart lead the Titans outside the Tower, to the small beach that existed just on the curve of the island. True to Bart's word, they found Brett there, engaged in some kind of training. He was stripped to the waist, his muscular body impressive despite all the fur that covered it. The bat held his sword aloft in the air, and was moving it about in graceful patterns in the air. But what most of the Titans noticed first was the strip of cloth around the bat's eyes, hiding his view. "What is he…" Beast Boy began, but Bart quickly hushed him. "What's he doing?" the green one whispered back. "He does this everyday, to better his awareness." Bart explained, quietly. "Brett's eyes are his weakest sense, so he trains doubly hard to make sure his others are at their absolute peak." "OK, but how does this do that?" Robin asked. "Watch." Bart replied.

Just then, Brett reached into his pocket and pulled out three circular disks. One by one, he flipped them out to almost all sides of him, in a triangle pattern. As he regained his proper grip on his sword, the disks suddenly began to grow and twist into different shapes. In less then a second, the bat was surrounded by three large, deadly looking androids. "More stuff from the thirtieth century. They make absolutely no noise." Bart said. Then the droid's eyes activated, and they began to lurch forwards towards Brett. But the bat simply pulled his sword into a defensive position. Suddenly, one of them swung its arm back (in complete silence) and swung it down towards Brett's head. However, just when it seemed to hit the bat, Brett suddenly flung himself to the ground to the right of him. Angling his sword upwards, the bat sliced through the arm as though it was air. The droid lurched back, clutching it's wounded arm, but the other two continued to advance. But Brett flipped back to his feet, just as they threw their fists at him. Brett suddenly moved his arms up, allowing the massive steel arms to just miss him, then he wrapped his arms around them. The bat then flipped himself backwards, dragging the two droids onto the sand with him. The second he stopped moving, Brett flipped himself back to his feet. Picking up the sword that he'd dropped to grab the droids, he turned the blade down and prepared to ram it through the droid's chest. But the one he had already injured had regained it's footing, and was pointing it's arm at him. Suddenly, that arm morphed into a huge cannon, which fired black plasma energy at the bat.

Yet once again, this proved an advantage for the bat. Just as the beam was about to hit him, Brett angled his sword up, catching the blast and angling it into the head of the droid to his left. The machine's head exploded in a mass of metal and circuitry. Brett quickly drove his sword into the other's chest, shutting it down in a haze of sparks, then began to run towards the one remaining droid. The machine quickly began to fire its weapon at Brett, but for all the shots it took, Brett deflected them all back at seemingly light speed. And all the time, Brett kept advancing on the droid until finally, he took a huge leap over it, then twisting in the air, he brought his sword down through it, cutting it into two identical halves. As the two pieces fell to the ground, Brett finally gave a sign of exhaustion, as he fell to his knees and draped over his sword began breathing hard. The Titans stared in amazement; unable to believe he had done all that blind. "And he does this every day?" Robin asked in disbelief. "Everyday. Today was actually a bit slow." Bart said. "Still, he deserves congratulations." Starfire said, as she flew over to the form of the bat. "Star wait!" Bart yelled, but the young alien gave no notice. Landing next to the bat, she placed her hand on his shoulder and prepared to give a speech congratulating his efforts. But she never got to, because Brett suddenly shot up, grabbed her hand and used it to throw her down to the ground, and drawing his sword, he held it over her neck, preparing to drive it down. And he would have, had Bart not yelled out, "Brett STOP!" The blade stopped just an inch above the girl's throat, and as the others came around them, Brett said, "Aw crap, what did I do now?" "You almost impaled me?" Star said nervously. Pulling off the blindfold, he looked down at Star and cursing himself, helped her to her feet. "Sorry Star. I just don't think when I'm like that." He apologized as he sheathed his sword. "I get so into it, it takes a few minutes for me to calm down. Until then, I perceive everything as an enemy. It's involuntary." "It is all right, I guess." She said. "I tried to tell you." Bart said. "Now why don't you tell Brett whatever it was you wanted to talk to him about?" "What's up?" the bat asked, almost as if nothing had happened. "Uh, I think we'd best talk over there." Robin said, pulling Brett over to a further side of the isle. As Bart sat down and watched them walk off, he asked Raven, "Something else, isn't it?" "Yeah. I just hope he doesn't send somebody else to the emergency room." The empath said coldly, as she watched Robin talk to the bat.


	9. Night Shift

Ok, I've finished my first songfic and have now returned to finish this baby off! Most humble thanks to everyone who reviewed Automatic for the People and gave my ego a healthy boost!

Chap. 9

Night Shift

After Brett heard about the problems that were going on, things between the BRATS and the Titans calmed down. The guys promised to try to keep their habits under control. So for the next day, everyone got along. But on that night, things began to change.

WHOOOOOOOP! WHOOOP! Blasted the alarm throughout the Tower. Robin through back his sheets and leapt out of bed. _Looks like it's time to go to work. _He thought as he pounded on everybody's door, making sure that they were up. Of course, this was met with more then a few "I'm up, I'm up." "Shut up, I'm coming." and a couple, "IT'S THREE IN THE MORNING!" But eventually, everyone was up and standing with Robin in the control room. The boy wonder's hands flew over the computer as he tired to isolate the signal. "Are you sure you hooked the tracer up right?" he asked Martin. "Positive." he replied. "Brett showed me how to do it." "Hey, where is batboy anyway?" asked Beast Boy as he rubbed his eyes. "He must still be out." Bart answered. "He slept through the alarm and Robin pounding on his door?" asked Raven. "Hey, Brett's like a rock when he's out. We once got so bushed, he fell asleep at a Metallica concert." said Milhouse. "Well somebody's got to go get him. Beast Boy..." said Robin. "Aww why me?" "He's a man-bat, and you're the next best thing. You probably know how to wake him up somehow." muttered Robin, as he pushed Beast out of the room and into the hall. "But why can't one of the BRATS.." said Beast Boy as the door slammed shut on him. Grumbling, he began to make his way down to Brett's room.

"Brett! Wake up dude! Come on, we've got an emergency!" Beast Boy pounded on the door as hard as he could, but nothing was working. Sighting, he pulled the door open and walked in. As the door shut behind, he realized that he was stuck in perfect blackness. "Where's the light switch?" he muttered as he felt along the wall. But strangely, he couldn't seem to find it. "Fine, I'll do it the hard way. How far can his bed be anyway?" Slowly Beast Boy began to make is way forward. But he had barely gone three feet when he bumped into something hanging from the ceiling. In his surprise, he lost his balance and fell down. As he started to pull himself up, there was a yawn and then Brett's voice saying, "I don't know what time it is. All I know is that you'd better say that either the Tower's on fire, Slade's made his move, or something just exploded." "Number two, actually." replied Beast Boy as he got up. A pair of red eyes suddenly opened in front of him, and Brett said, "Lights." The light then came on, revealing to Beast Boy one of the strangest sights he'd ever seen. Brett was right in front him, but he was upside down. He'd wrapped himself in gauzy wings that unfolded from his arms, and using his clawed feet, he'd been hanging upside down from a pipe that ran from the ceiling. As Beast Boy watched, he unwrapped his wings, spread them out for a minute, and then with a quick flick of the wrist, caused them to fold up along his forearms. Then his feet let go of the pipe, causing him to land on his hands. Thankfully, he'd been wearing pajama bottoms, so Beats Boy was spared a horrible vision. With a quick flip, he righted himself and was looking right at Beast Boy's face. "I take it everyone else is up?" he asked. "Yup." "Okay then." said Brett, as he started to walk out of the room. "Ah dude," said Beast Boy. "Shouldn't you put something else on?" Brett paused in the doorway, and hen said, "Good idea." The black-blue flames covered him again, and when they vanished, he was wearing jeans, a black T-shirt, and a torn vest. "Let's ride." He said as he walked out the door. Beast Boy followed, asking, "So about the ceiling thing..."

"Sorry, I'm late." said Brett as he met the groups in the garage a minute later. "Don't worry about it, let's just head out." said Robin from the inside of the BRAT's car. Brett quickly shifted gears and became Nightstalker once again. Heading to the passenger seat, he quickly jumped in. "Hold on." Said Bartamn, as he revved up the car to it's max. Finally removing the brake, he shot the car out the door and shifted it to fly mode. As it flew along, Starfire suddenly asked, "Can the car hover while standing still?" "Yeah, why?" asked Heatstrike. The young alien pointed to the window, where a green-skinned monkey was hanging on for dear life. "I knew we forgot something." said Cyborg, as Bartman slowly stopped the car and allowed Beast Boy to hop in.

Minutes later, the car landed on top of the Jump City Historical Museum. The two teams quickly exited as Robin began to look around for a way in. "Whatever happened to the big windows they used to have on the roof?" he muttered when he realized there was no way in. "If I might offer a suggestion?" said Bartman suddenly. The purple-clad hero walked over to a spot on the roof. Kneeling down, he suddenly pulled his arm back and drove it into the roof. A large, circle shaped section popped out and headed for the floor, but Bartman managed to grapple it before it hit. "Well that's one way to get in." said Cyborg. Robin fitted his grappling hook to a nearby pole and started to climb down. Turning to Bartman, he said, "Next time, can you please not destroy public property?" "Hey man, it worked didn't it?" was the reply.

When everybody had gotten inside, Robin asked, "So where's the gem being kept?" "The guide said it was in the west wing." said Neuron. "According to my sensors, that's where we are now." said Cyborg. Suddenly, Beast said, "Look!" Everyone turned to see a display case, just like al the other in the museum. Except this one had nothing inside. Polar went over and read the inscription written on the card. "It was the gem all right." He said sadly. "UHH!" cried Robin as he pounded his fist into his hand. "We're too late!" "Maybe not." said Raven. She knelt down and picked a folded piece of paper near the case. On it was Slade's symbol. "Let me see that." said Nightstalker, taking the note from her hand. Unfolding it, he began to read.

_Dear enemies,_

_It was a pleasure to learn that I would be would be facing not only the Titans, but my old friends the WILDB.R.A.T.S as well! Since both of you have managed to work together so well, I've decided to give you a fair chance to stop me. My hideout is in one of five different places in the city's north, west, east, south, and dock sections. You have until eight a.m. to find me._

_Warmest personal regards_

_Slade_

Finishing the note, Nightstalker crumpled it up and threw it away. "Great. So we've got five hours to search the entire city. How is that playing fair?" "Dude, he's the bad guy." answered Beast Boy. "Besides," said Robin. "this does tighten the search. All right, we're going to have to split up. Bartman and I will take the north. Starfire, you and Whimpernel take the south. Beast Boy and Neuron, east. Cyborg, take Polar and Heatstrike west. Raven, you and Nightstalker head for the docks." "Ah, can I get another partner?" asked Raven. "Well, won't this be fun." Sighed the man-bat. "All teams, we've got five hours, let's get going."


	10. North

Chap. 10

North

"So where are we headed?" asked Bartman, as he swung from the museum roof. Swinging in front of him, Robin answered, "There's an old abandoned factory near the museum. If Slade was in a hurry, he would've probably gone there first." "I don't know," said Bartman as he shot out his grapple again. "it seems pretty obvious." "Batman taught me that sometimes the most obvious place is the bet place to start." replied Robin. "Makes sense." his companion agreed.

Minutes later, the two landed at the door of the factory. "So how do we get in?" asked Bartman, looking at the giant factory doors. "There's no lock to pick or anything." "You have to ask?" asked Robin. Bartman looked confused for a moment, then grinned and said, "You _are_ learning." The young hero walked up to the door and with one punch, knocked the doors down. "What about not destroying public property?" he asked as Robin stepped over the doors and into the factory. "Technically, it's privately owned." The boy wonder replied. Smiling, Bartman followed him in.

The two of them stepped around quietly, unable to see much in the blackness. "Wish Brett was here; he can see perfectly in the dark." mumbled Bartman as he blindly groped his way through the dark. "You get used to it." replied Robin, who could see almost perfectly, thanks to his late night epics with Batman. "Right." Grumbled his companion, who barley avoided a pipe in the middle o the floor. "Hey what did they used to make here anyway?" "Car parts." replied Robin curtly. The boy wonder then shook his head. "No one's here. They would have heard the door go down and with the darkness they'd have the advantage. But just as he finished speaking, the lights came on. The two heroes found themselves staring down at least a hundred of Slade's robots. "Boy, doesn't this suck?" said Bartman.

The robots leapt up and attempted to cut the two heroes down. But Robin pulled out his staff and violently batted them away. Bartman was able to shoot out his grapple around them, then use it to swing them to the floor, shattering them in the process. Quickly, the two separated, and each took a different side of the enemy. Robin was a whirlwind of motion, throwing punches, Birdarangs, bombs, and staffs every which way seemingly at once. Bartman however, used the more 'smash-and-bash' style, using his augmented strength and agility to take down the droids. However, no matter how many druids they took down, more seemed to take their place. "We've gotta get out of here!" yelled Bartman as he slammed a robot to the floor. "Not without the gem!" Robin yelled back. Suddenly, the boy wonder noticed something sparkle on the conveyor belt. "There it is!" he yelled. Quickly he bashed in the robot in front of him and sprang up, using the droid's heads as springboards. Finally, he managed to reach the belt, where the gem did indeed wait for him. Robin to grab it, but before he could, one of the robots knocked it to the floor and began to fight him. "Bartman! Get it!" Robin yelled as he spared with the droid.

Bartman quickly dispersed the robot he was fighting, then with a series of leaps and bounds, reached the belt. He began to reach for the gem, but then he paused. "What are you waiting for?!" yelled Robin as he used his staff to decapitate the druid. He didn't say anything, but suddenly, his eyes grew wide. Swiftly backing away, he grabbed Robin's vest and began to leap back to the doors the boy wonder in hand. "Let me go! We can get it!" screamed Robin as he struggled against Bartman's grip. Still not speaking, the purple one grabbed one of Robin's Birdarangs and hurled it back into the factory. Then he threw both Robin and himself to the side, just as a huge burst of fire shot out of the factory.

"You okay?" Bartman finally spoke, as he and Robin picked themselves up. "Fine. What just happened here?" "Well, when I looked at the gem, I noticed that it was chipped on one side. It should be much too hard to break that easily. Second, there was a small clock on it's side. I figured Slade built himself a look-alike, then fitted it to blow." "How'd you figure all that out?" asked Robin. "A master prankster always knows what somebody would fall for. In essence, all death trips are really elaborate pranks." "I've never thought about it that way." replied Robin. "Well, at least we know it's not here." said Bartman. "Or do you want to keep searching..." But Robin had already gone. "I should've known he would do that." he said, as he shot his grapple and swung off.


	11. South

Chap. 11

South

"Friend Whimpernel, why are we headed towards the trendy nightclub?" asked Starfire, as they flew towards Club 172, an expensive nightclub near the heart of the city. "I figure, Slade would never suspect we'd think of it. And besides, places like that usually have underground tunnels or something." replied Whimpernel. "Where did you hear about that?" "Comic books." "Oh I see..... can you tell me again how you can fly?" Sighing, he answered, "Star, for the last time, it's an antigravity belt!" "Yes but how can a belt.. oh look, there it is!" Starfire quickly began to land, while Whimpernel muttered, "Thank God!" and followed her.

The two landed outside of the club and quickly walked up to the bouncer. "Hello sir, I am Starfire of the Teen Titans. My friend and I require access to your large place of blinding lights and loud music." The bouncer, a large and burly man, looked down at the two of them and asked, "Are you on the list?" "What list?" asked Starfire, genuinely confused. At that point, Whimpernel stepped in. "Sir we believe that a madman has hidden underneath your club with a magic gemstone, and if we don't find him, he will use that stone to transform himself into an all powerful being and destroy the city!" The bouncer stared for a second, then shook his head and said, "Boy, if I had a nickel for every time I heard that one.." "Is there any way you'll let us in there?" asked Whimpernel. "Well, let me think... no." he replied. "Now get out of line, there are other people who want in."

Starfire began to leave, but Whimpernel didn't move. "That's a very strange pimple on your neck sir." He said. "What the hell are you talking about?" snapped the bouncer, clearly growing impatient. But Whimpernel continued to stare at it. "You know, I read in a medial magazine that a pimple like that can lead to acerolis." "Huh?" went the bouncer, albeit with a touch of concern in his voice. "Horrible disease. First, it starts to bubble pus all over your neck. Then, you begin to under go a rise of temperature. After that, there's a series of painful muscle spasms, followed by uncontrollable flatulence. Finally, the entire digestive system collapses, with the victim experiencing massive drooling. Finally, the poor bastard is reduced to quivering mass of jelly." Whimpernel finished his speech, then looked up at the bouncer. This time, he was clearly frightened. "W-What should I do?" he trembled. "Well, if memory serves, go home and cover the pimple in calamine lotion. Then, once it's been an hour, heat up a pin, and pop it." Nodding, the bouncer yelled, "Jimmy! Cover for me! And let these two in!" Turning back to the two heroes, he said, "Thanks." and began to run off.

"Well, that went well didn't it?" said Whimpernel. "Yes, we achieved entry and you helped save a man from a horrible disease." agreed Starfire. "Yeah, about that. He wasn't actually sick." "What?" said Starfire. "Then acerolis.." "Oh it's a real disease, but it's caused by food poisoning." "You lied to that man! We most go and make amends." "Starfire hold on! Look, we had to get in somehow and if this worked let's roll with it. We have bigger problems right now." Sighing, the young alien said "You are right, but we will solve this afterwards." Whimpernel nodded. Suddenly, another bouncer appeared saying, "Ok, in you go." As the two of them walked in, Starfire asked, "Where did you hear about that thing anyway?" "With all the medications I take, I learned a lot about disease. Sometimes, it comes in handy."

The two heroes walked into the club, trying to move among the masses of moving bodies. "One side, superheroes coming through.. OWWW! Watch it buddy!" "Excuse me please, I am attempting to save you." Finally, the two of them managed to reach a slightly less crowded part of the club. "So where are the tunnels we are to descend to?" asked Starfire. "I'm still working that out." yelled Whimerpnel, straining to be heard over the pounding music. Suddenly, the beat changed, and the song morphed into an all too familiar disco anthem. "Oh no, you do not play THAT KISS song!" cried Whimpernel, as he marched towards the dj. "Hey buddy, look, we need access to the secret tunnels..." but then Whimpernel stopped dead in his tracks. The dj was in horrible shape, he appeared to melting through his skin. "You all right?" asked Whimpernel, leaning over to get a better look. But suddenly, he was covered in a foul-smelling goo and hurled across the room.

Starfire saw the goo-covered projectile fly across the room. Quickly, she flew over and helped Whimpernel dig himself out. "What in the name of God was that?" sputtered Whimpernel, as he tired to get every inch of the slime off him. Suddenly, there was a scream of horror, followed by an all-encompassing shape rising from the turntables. "Plasmus!" cried Starfire. "Oh he's one of yours?" asked Whimpernel, getting to his feet. "Not for long." She answered, her hands beginning to glow. Still roaring, the slime covered villain oozed his way across the floor. Starfire let loose with a barrage of starbolts. Almost immediately, Plasmus's body became ridden with holes. But as they watched, his body healed them. Undeterred, Starfire flew, firing his bolts at closer and closer ranges. Scarlet Whimpernel followed suit, sending out waves of high intensity sound. Both had immediate effects, but Plasmus recovered quickly. "This is not working!" yelled Starfire, as she zoomed around for another shot. But before she knew, Plasmus had wrapped a tentacle around her and had drawn her inside him. As Whimpernel watched in horror, Plasmus' body bulged with Star's struggles. But then, slowly but surely, they died down. Plasmus gave a sickly grin and turned towards Whimpernel.

"NOO!" the younger hero yelled, as he leapt off the ground and right at Plasmus. But the monster simply opened up and swallowed him whole. Plasmus grinned as he felt the boy stop struggling almost immediately. But then, it's eyes became dilated. Plasmus seemed to shrink, his body loose it's gooiness and became solid. The monter fell to the ground, and as he did Whimpernel and Starfire popped out of what had been his chest. As the two heroes watched, he slowly became human again, sleeping soundly. "What did you do to him?" asked Starfire, as she strained to get the goo out of her hair. "I sent a high intensity signal through his nervous system, knocking him out." Replied Whimpernel, as he too attempted to clean himself. "Were you sure that would've worked?" "No, but hey it did didn't it?" "Hmm. I do not believe Slade is here. Perhaps we should search elsewhere." "Good idea, but first, we've gotta find a dry cleaners."


	12. East

Chap. 12

East

At 4 am, most people are capable of believing anything. In those hours between dawn and dark, the world seems full of possibilities. Therefore, the few who saw the green hawk fly above them managed to shrug it off. However, if they had seen it land and change into a green-skinned human... well they might have given it a second glance.

"Find anything?" Beast Boy asked, as he resumed his human form. A blur ran up the side of the roof, and as he hit the ground, Neuron shook his head. "All I've seen is a bunch of empty buildings and nothing that would lead us to Slade." The young speedster answered. "I don't get it. Why would he give these hints?" wondered Beast Boy aloud. "He probably wants to throw us off track, by making it seem like we have a chance." answered Neuron. "Yeah, but we don't even know how to look for him. I mean, I had a better chance of getting Raven in a clown suit then figuring this out." "Not true. We just need to think like him." Neuron placed a hand on his chin and began to think. "Now Slade likes to set up these big elaborate plans that take a lot of subterfuge. Therefore he would put this in the last place we'd look, never giving us a clear idea of where to look." Suddenly, a huge explosion hit the air. The two heroes turned to see that a large building had caught fire. "Then again, maybe he would." Said Beast Boy, as he resumed his hawk shape and flew off. Neuron quickly sped down the building and followed.

The building was more then in flames however. It was _engulfed _in them. The firefighters had already gathered and were attempting o put out the blaze, but it was steadily growing out of hand. The chief was attempting to keep order, but there were people trapped in the flames, and they were running out of time. "Johnson! Get those flames extinguished over by the left windows. There's some people trapped over there!" Johnson attempted to redirect the fire hoses, but nothing was working fast enough. "Sir, we're not cutting through fast enough. Suddenly, there was a scream from behind the flames. The chief whipped out a pair of binoculars and tried to peer into the flames. But what he saw made his blood turn cold. Two people were trapped on a section of the building that was starting to collapse. If they didn't make it through soon, the walls would fall and they'd be crushed like flies. The chief started to bark orders, but he was too late. The wall cracked off and the two people began their descent into the flames.

But suddenly, they stopped. Literally. The chief watched in amazement as they began to float just above the flames. As he watched what seemed to be a giant green bird swooped down underneath, just in time to catch them on his back. The bird rose above the flames, and carried them out. It then landed near the firetruck, let them off its back, and then changed into a green kid. "Hey isn't that one of the Titans?" asked Johnson. "Well it's certainly not part of this unit." replied the chief. He walked over to Beast Boy and said, "Thanks for your help. I just hope you don't get tired quickly, cause we're gonna be here a while." Beast Boy answered, "Dude, the ladies can tell you I never get tired. Besides, I'm not alone." The chief raised an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to speak, but just then, there was a just of wind and another kid appeared next to Beast Boy. "So, what's the situation?" Neuron asked. The chief stared for a minute, then shrugged and said, "This blaze started about twenty minutes ago. If we don't get it out, it could level the next two blocks." "How?" asked Beast Boy. "This is the Diamond Chemical building. If the stuff in there gets too hot, it'll go sky-high." "We'll do everything we can." said Neuron, and the two heroes turned back to the fire. But the chief couldn't help noticing a look that passed between the two of them before they left.

"You think this is some sort of distraction, don't you?" asked Beast Boy. "Diamond Chemicals?" It is too good. And if memory serves, there's an underground bomb shelter here." He turned over to Beast Boy and asked, "If I help get people out, you think you can tunnel down into it?" "Dude, you insult my skill." "All right then, let's get to work." Neuron sped off as Beast Boy changed into a mole and began to dig under the building. The young shape shifter swiftly dug throw about half a mile of dirt and debris before he finally hit a concrete wall. From there, he transformed into a ram and burst through the wall. "Uhh... forgot how hard concrete is." he mumbled as he shook off the impact. Resuming human form, he looked around the shelter, seeing if there was any sign of a break in. But all he saw was an empty concrete room. "Man, looks like Neuron was wrong after all." he said as he looked around. He turned back to the hole in the wall and prepared to leave, but then he felt something covering his feet. Looking down, Beast Boy gasped in horror. A strange reddish goo was pouring out of the walls and swiftly covering him. He tried to assume hawk form and fly out, but whatever the goo was, it held him tight. Frantically, Beast Boy assumed several forms, but each one was bogged down as the goo grew higher and higher. Finally, Beast Boy grew exhausted, just the goo reached his neck. "Oh man, I can believe I'm gonna go out like this." he moaned as the liquid began to seep into his mouth.

Suddenly, the goo began to part, as though it was the Red Sea. Beast boy could see it split apart in front of him, and within seconds, it was completely confined to the sides of the wall. Beast Boy looked up and saw that Neuron was standing in the hole he'd dug, frantically spinning his arms to create a whirlwind effect. "Hurry!" he yelled. "I can't do this forever." Beast Boy quickly ran behind his friend. "Quick, there's a cylinder on my belt." Said Neuron. Beast Boy looked down and saw that there was indeed a blue and red cylinder there. "Throw it in there." Beast Boy swiftly did as he was told. The cylinder flew through the air and shattered on the floor, releasing a green liquid. Instantly, Neuron stopped his arms, and the goo flowed back into place, only to suddenly solidify. "Whew, that was close." Said Beast Boy. "What was that?" "Some sort of liquid superglue. Only problem was, they could never figure out how to make it dry." replied Neuron. "So why am I still here?" asked Beast Boy. "Well, I figured we might run into this sort of thing, so I looked up the composition of it, and worked out a solidifier." "Oh." "See? Science is important." "Yeah, so any luck with Slade?" "No, looks like this was a dead end in that regard. But on the plus side, everybody got out of the fire ok." "Great. So what now?" "Well if you have any idea where to head next, I'm open for suggestions."


	13. The Docks

Chap. 13

The Docks

The water lapped up on the pier, as they stood there in the shadows. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be humming softly. Finally, Nightstalker asked, "Sense anything?" "No." Raven answered, opening her eyes. "I can't find any trace of Slade." "Hmm.. he must be cloaked somehow." Said the man-bat thoughtfully. "No offense, but how would he know how to do that?" "Slade knows a lot of things, it wouldn't surprise me. You need to give him more credit." "Say what?" asked Raven in disbelief. Nightstalker simply shrugged and said, "Look, none of the others have had any luck so far, and a cloak seems in the realm of possibilities. Its deductive reasoning. Besides, the worst thing we can do here is underestimate Slade. The first thing I ever learned as a warrior was to never underestimate my enemies, because then I was sure to lose." Raven rolled her eyes, and said, "Oh yeah, thanks O master of battle. You know that doesn't mean we have a better chance of finding him." "Maybe, maybe not. At least I'm not giving up." "No, instead you're gonna have me up and down this dock until we end up out of time and without any hope of getting out!" Raven spat angrily.

There was silence for a moment. Then Nightstalker said, "You don't like me very much, do you?" "Whatever made you think that?" asked Raven sarcastically. "Look kid, if we're gonna do this, we need to work together. So whatever you've got a problem with, just say it so we can move on, ok?" Raven glared at him, and said, "Okay, you wanna know what my problem is? The fact that you derive your powers from shadow! How am I supposed to trust someone who commands darkness? Besides that, you learned my friends' secrets and then acted like it was ok." The armored figure stood there absorbing Raven's words. Then he said, "Yeah, but I had a reason for that. And yes my powers do come from evil, but you forget, without evil, there is no good. And if that bothers you, I'm sorry, but let's not forget, your father is the eighth crown prince of Hell, and I don't let that bother me anymore."

Raven 's mouth dropped open at those last words. Nightstalker simply replied, "Oh yes, I know all about Trigon. I know how he's linked to you, and I know why you're so damn emotionless all the time. After all, can't have you lose control and release him into this world, now can we?" "But... I don't understand." said Raven, still in disbelief. "I never told anyone about my father, and the only other ones who knew where on Azarath..." Seemingly grinning under his helmet, the armored one replied, "Ah, but that's not the only place. Where I come from Raven, you are lore. Where I come from, there are books written about you and your father that are centuries long." "You mean.. you come form Azarath too?" "No. Officially, I'm from Hoboken. But, for a while I lived in a place that had almost as much knowledge as Azarath." "Where?" asked Raven. But he only shook his head. "Come on now. I thought they taught you things there. Think. Immortal animal-human hybrid, controls an earthly power, wears armor and carries a sword, has knowledge of countless arcane things.. What am I Raven?"

"What do you mean?" the empath asked. "Does the idea of a Tower mean anything to you at all?" Raven's brow furrowed, as she tired to think of anything that could answer this. A Tower, that apparently had books about her father... there was such a place. But no, the only beings to ever come from there had been... "Oh my God," she whispered, as the pieces fit together in her mind. "you're an Elemental!" "To be specific, the Elemental of Shadow." he replied. "The earthly representative of all the dark that is essential to illuminating the light." "But.., that can't be." said Raven. "According to the tomes, you're supposed to be with the other Elementals till the end of time." "True." He replied. "But spending 500 years with the same group of people can be such a drag. So we decided to split for about 20 years." "Then that story you told us did really happen." She realized. "But what did you mean that my... lineage didn't bother you anymore." "Well to be honest, my first reaction to this alliance was to secretly kill you, and make it seem like Slade did it." he answered, as he brandished his sword, and took another look at her.

Noting the look in her eyes, Nightstalker then sheathed his sword and continued. "However, Bart and the others convinced me that it wasn't a good idea, even after I told them about you. Oh not everything, just that you were linked to a demon and if you lost control, he would come and destroy humanity." "That still doesn't explain why you don't want me dead." Raven replied."I decided to watch you and see what I thought. You have a good deal of control, and besides that, I've grown to like you as a person. You're calm, collected, funny even though you don't think you are, and it's nice to know there's someone else who understands the night in the way I do." "So what do you plan to do?" "Nothing for now. But Rae, you should know this. Even though I will do everything I can to help you keep control, if the day comes when he finally breaks through... I will take you out." he said grimly. "My job is to keep the balance of light and dark till Judgment Day, and I will do it." Raven looked at him then, a grim look n her own face. Then, she gave a slight smile. "Well, will you still talk to me about this till then?" "Always." he answered, smiling himself. The Elemental extended his hand, and the two of them shook on it.

Suddenly, there was a crash from the warehouse next to them. "What was that?" said Nightstalker, as he held his sword high. "Let's go find out." said Raven, pulling her hood up. The two dark warriors moved to the building, and with a thought, Raven undid the lock. The doors swung open to reveal... nothing at all. "Must've been a rat." muttered Nightstalker. "Maybe not." replied Raven. She pointed to a hole in the floor, where there seemed to be a tunnel leading below the waters. "Hmm, this could mean something." She replied, as the two of them slowly crept into it.


	14. West

Chap. 14

West

"See anything yet?" asked Heatstrike, as he flew ahead, propelled by his rocket boots. "For the least time, NO! And if you ask one more time I'm gonna... I don't know, but it'll hurt!" snapped Cyborg, as he leapt from building to building. "Oh lighten up dude." said Polar, as he slid along his ice slide. "Lighten up?!" said Cy in disbelief. Unfortunately, he was so surprised, he forgot what he was doing, and slammed into the next building over. Slowly, his body peeled off, to be caught by Polar's slide. "You know, maybe you should try to clam down." The young hero said, Cy pulled himself together. "C'mon man, a lunatic got a master weapon, and you wanna calm down?" "Well, losing your cool never helped anybody." replied Heatstrike, as he flew near the slide. "Well, sorry, but we've been doing this for hours, we haven't seen a damn thing." Replied Cy. "Hey man, no one gets to level 10 on the first try, but they do get there." Replied Heatstrike

Suddenly, there was a shrill beeping. The three heroes looked around for its source, and then Cyborg went, "Oh it's my arm." Turning its communication screen to his face, he said, "Cy here." "We found him." said Raven, matter-of-factly. "What? Where is he?" asked Polar, crowding in for a better view. "He's in some sort of underground cavern by the docks. It's under Pierhouse 45. You'd better hurry, it looks like he's almost ready." "We'll be there as soon as we can." said Cyborg, who promptly shut off his communicator. "All right guys, think you can get us there fast enough?" The two kids smiled. "Don't worry." Said Polar, as he created an ice slide under Cy and himself and began to shoot for the docks. Heatstrike stood a moment, then lit his boots and flew after them.

"Still gullible." said Slade as he snapped the communicator shut. With a push of a button, he erased the Raven hologram, as the genuine article stood chained to the wall. "They'll stop you." she said, her eyes glaring at Slade. The masked villain walked up to her and replied, "Really my dear? I happen to think they'll end up like you, powerless and chained to a wall." "I happen to agree with her." snapped Nighstalker, de-armored and also chained. "Perhaps you don't realize, but I am about to become a god." Replied Slade. "What you think has no meaning for me." "Jeez, where did you get your dialogue?" muttered Raven, as she struggled against her chains. "Resist all you like." said Slade, as he ran his fingers over the Gem, placed on a table next to him. "But in the end, you will fall. And the city, the world, will belong to me."

Sorry it is so short, but I just couldn't think of anything better. Next chap will be much improved.


	15. By The Pricking

Chap. 15

By the Pricking of my Thumbs...

_20 minutes ago_

"Man, this place seems to go on forever." said Nighstalker, as they walked through the tunnel. "It has to end somewhere." replied Raven, as she paused to pull her foot out of a hole in the earth. "Yeah that' what worries me." Said Nightstalker, as he looked up. "If I'm right, there's about twelve tons of seawater right over our heads. If Slade wanted to trap us..." "Ok, now I'm getting depressed." said Raven, "Let's just keep going." "Yeah, right." muttered the man-bat, as he continue to move along,

Suddenly, a voice began to echo from ahead. "Hurry, we don't have much time before the ritual must be done." Both heroes turned to each other and mouthed, "Slade." They quickly crouched behind a large rock to gain a view of what was ahead of them. What they saw was quite impressive. Slade was supervising a team of his robots in the construction of a large, golden arch. It stood on four legs and seemed large enough to hold a man underneath it. On top of it was a strange decoration, that resembled something used to hold an egg. Slade looked at it, almost longingly. Then he turned, revealing the gem cradled in his arms.

Both heroes saw this. Quickly ducking behind the rock, Nighstalker whispered, "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes." "Shakespeare?" Raven whispered back. "And Bradbury. We've got to get that thing away from him." "If you can take down the drones, I might be able to levitate it out of his hands." "No problem." He said, unsheathing his sword. There was a brief hiss as it left the metal. Slade cocked his head. Suddenly there was an inhuman screech and a blue figure leapt up and slashed a droid right in half. "You always did like the direct route." said Slade, as he noncommittally watched his druids fight on. "What can... I say?" panted Nightstalker, his sword a deadly wave. "It's.. the fun way." "Good too see you again you know." replied Slade, as he began to walk towards his foe. "I was starting to miss the challenge the B.R.A.T.S gave me." "What, can't handle the Titans?" said Nightstalker, as he slashed the last droid. "Not as well as I'd like, but now..." Slade paused for a second as the gem in his hand suddenly glowed black. He looked at it for a moment, then shook his head. "Don't you know it's wrong to steal other people's property?" Slade gave the gem a slight squeeze, and the black departed. Following was a scream of pain. "Raven!" Nightstalker yelled in fury, as he charged his foe. But Slade simply pointed the gem at him, and Nightstalker found himself enveloped in a beam of light.....

"Uhh.." Raven opened her eyes to find Slade leaning down into her face. "I'd heard you were strong." He said. "Looks like they were wrong." "Let's find out." She growled. "Azarath, Metrion, Zin.." "Don't bother." Said Slade, cutting her off. "Even if I wanted to find out your strengths, you don't have any at the moment." Raven then realized, that she was chained to the wall. "Don't bother struggling." Said Slade. He patted the gem, which was glowing with a strange light. "You see, you and the bat draw your powers from otherworldly sources. The gem is able to negate them, and leave you powerless." "What did you do with Brett?" Raven asked, ignoring her predicament. "Nothing.. yet." He answered, moving aside to reveal an unconscious Brett, unarmored, and chained to the wall. "You know," spoke Slade. "he does look quite pathetic like that. Perhaps I should wake him. And I know just how." Turning his head to Raven, he continued. "Being the Shadow Knight does have one weakness, you know." As the glow from the gem became brighter and brighter, Slade pointed it at Brett and finished, "An extreme intolerance for concentrated light." Suddenly, a beam of light shot out and struck the Elemental. Brett threw his head back, and let out a huge screech of pain as the light flowed through his body. Slade watched for a moment, then turned the beam off. Brett collapsed, panting, then he looked up and saw Slade. "So...you...learned... some.. tricks." He managed to get out. "More then you know." Said Slade. "You're not the only one who can mix technology and magic." Slade bent and placed a cylinder on the ground. Pressing a button on it's side, he stepped back as it opened and projected into the air an image of Raven. "Nice holoprojecter. How's it gonna do you any good?" asked Brett. Slade held up his hand. In it was a Titans communicator. "I thought we'd invite some more friends to witness my re-birth as a god." Said Slade.

_10 minutes ago..._

Outside the pier house, the air began to chill. Suddenly, a flow of ice began to appear, seemingly from nowhere. As the slide solidified, it's maker fly off it, and onto the ground. Behind him, his half-man companion slid off and fell hard. Shaking off the impact, Cyborg stood up and said, "Can't you guys do anything simple Like let me get a cab or something?" "Well yeah." said Heatstrike as he landed. "But this is more super-hero, don't you think?" "Whatever." He muttered. Looking over the pierhouse, he said, "This is defiantly the place the signal came from. But where are they?" "Well somebody's coming." said Polar suddenly, pointing to the sky. Cyborg looked up and saw Scarlet Whimpernel and Starfire flying down to the docks.

"So you guys got the message too?" asked Whimpernel as he landed. "Yep." Said Cy. Suddenly, he noticed that there were a few strands of dried purple goo stuck to heir clothes and hair. "Did something happen to you guys?" he asked. "Plasmus." Replied Star. "Ah. So, do you think anyone else is coming?" "Seems possible." said a voice from above, as Bartman and Robin swung down from the sky. "Is this it?" said Robin. "Yeah." Answered Cy. With that, Robin turned and began to walk towards the building. "Determined isn't he?" said Heatstrike. "Hold on Rob." Said Whimpernel, stepping in front of the boy wonder. "We should wait till we're at full strength. We' don't know what's in there." "Actually we do." said Neuron, suddenly whizzing into view. Jumping back few feet, Robin asked, "Can you please not do that?" "Sorry, but I've got some info. Beast Boy dug under the house and managed to figure this out. There's about three tunnels in there and two of them lead into the ocean. He managed to find the right one and he's waiting there for us. Shall we go then?"

_Now.._

The group of young heroes made their way through the tunnels. "Are you sure about this?" asked Beast Boy. "I can't see a thing." "Yeah, it's darker in here then it is in my dad's head." agreed Bartman. "He's gotta be down here somewhere." Replied Robin, in a tone that suggested he wasn't going to be deterred. Suddenly a burst of light of light lit up the tunnel, blinding them. "Okay, maybe I was wrong." said Beast Boy. "Come on, he must be activating it!" yelled Neuron, as he sped ahead. The others followed in hot pursuit.

They reached the end of the tunnel, but what they saw made them stop in shock. Slade was standing inside an arch-like structure, and the light that had surrounded them was pouring into his body. He stood there transfixed as the raw power flowed into his body. On his sides, Raven and Brett were chained to the wall. Brett appeared to be straining against some kind of pain, and Raven looked drained. "Come on!" yelled Cyborg as he, Beast Boy, and Polar ran over to the wall. They began to pull apart the chains, only to suddenly hear Brett scream, "No! Stop Slade! Hurry, it's almost finish..." Suddenly there was one final burst of light, followed by a wave of pure force that shattered the chains and threw everyone back. As they attempted to detangle themselves from one another, they saw Slade walk down form the arch, his body glowing with the light. He raised his fist then pointed it at the wall. A dart of light shot out, blasting a hole the wall that dynamite couldn't have done. Turning back to the group, he said two words; "Who's first?"


	16. Light and Dark, Death and Life

Chap. 16

Light and Dark, Death and Life

Slowly, Slade stalked the group, the raw power pulsing off his body. They all knew he was powerful beyond measuring now, beyond their ability to defeat. Even so, they had few words to say on the subject. "TEEN TITANS, GO!" "WILDBRATS, ROCK AND ROAR!" The two super teams charged, but Slade didn't move. He just raised the gem up, and shot a powerful beam outwards, that hit them with the force of a train. Nightstalker, Cyborg, and Neuron were hurled into the wall, but the others were trapped inside a sphere of golden light. "I see you need a demonstration of my power." He said. Suddenly the sphere began to crackle with energy. IT surged through each of the Titans, burning their insides and causing them unbelievable pain. Slade dropped the field, and tey fell to the ground, out cold. "Who dares face me now?" "I do!" yelled Cyborg, sonic cannon at the ready. But then, Nightstalker stepped in front of him. "No. Tend to the others. He's mine." "But.." "Trust me. I know his weakness."

Nightstalker held his sword high and charged his enemy. Slade raised the gem and shot another light-beam at him. It struck the elemental head-on, but only stopped him for a minute. Annoyed, Slade began to increase the intensity, focusing it into one continuous stream. Nevertheless, ignoring the pain that racked his body, Nightstalker pressed on. Using every bit of strength in his body, he continued forward, even as the beam began to burn holes in his armor. "Do you really think you can stop me?" asked Slade, as the armor began to smoke and twist. "In a few minutes, your armor will be gone, and you will feel my power full-on." "Yeah.." Brett gasped out, as he tore off his helmet and threw his sword aside. "but I've... felt worse." He continued to inch forward as the last of his armor vanished, and his body began to blister under the power of the gem. Slade began to feel a tinge of fear; Brett was almost in front of him. He prepared to increase the bema again, but then he felt a pair of hands clamp down on his own. Slade looked up, to see the blistered and battered face of the Shadow Elemental staring right back at him. "You... made a... mistake." Brett wheezed out. "Never get.... a weapon.... that your enemy... can turn against you." Slade's eye widened in horror and he looked at the gem. The touch of Brett's hand was fueling an inky blackness into it, overloading it. Slade ripped it away from his enemies' hand, but it was too late. The gem began to radiate black and white light, swirling around faster and faster, until finally, a huge field of power spread out from it, throwing the two combatants against the wall and blinding the others that were still awake.

"Hey, I think he's waking up!" said a voice through the blackness. Groggily, Robin opened his eyes and looked around. "What happened?" he asked. "I think we won." said Beast Boy shakily. "What about Slade?" "He's gone." replied Cyborg. "We looked over the whole cavern but he's not here." "What about Brett?" Robin asked as he got to his feet. But his only answer was Cyborg turning away. "What.. he's not?" "The other BRATS and the girls are with what's left of him. They're over there." replied Cy, pointing to the right. Robin turned, but what he saw made him gape in horror. Brett had been thrown back by the explosion, right onto a protrusion on the wall. It jutted from his chest, as he leaned forward, cold and indifferent to the world. The BRATS looked on, except for Neuron, who was strangely absent. Starfire was crying and Raven just looked on and said, "I don't understand." "Don't understand what?" he asked. "He was an immortal, Robin. How can he be dead?"

Before Robin could respond, Neuron suddenly rushed back into the cave. "I found it!" he said jubilantly, holding Brett's sword in his hand. Th force of the last knocked into some bedrock a while up." "Thank God." said Bartman. "Looking at him was staring to get creepy." "He's gonna be annoyed." said Neuron as he handed the sword over. "That was his favorite shirt." "What are you talking about?" asked Beast Boy. Not responding, Polar and Heatstrike walked over to Brett's body. With a yank, they pulled it off of the protrusion and laid it on the ground. The damge was worse ot behold then; his broken ribs and organs were clearly visible. "Hey, wait a minute." began Raven. But the BRATS just ignored her. Forcing open Brett's hand, Bartman placed the sword hilt in it. Suddenly, the blade began to glow. As the Titans watched, the glow grew to cover Brett's entire body. The wounds began to close and seal shut on their own. His broken ribs re-grew, and then muscle and skin closed over the wound. He hitched in breath once, twice, then opened his eyes to see Raven and Starfire peering over him in joy and amazement. He stood silent for a moment, and then said, "Wow, _two _hot girls. This must be a good dream!"

Slowly, the Elemental got to his feet. "Did that look as bad as it hurt?" he asked Bartman. "Probably." the young hero replied. "Umm, can I ask what happened?" asked Beast Boy. "First Raven says your immortal then this..." "Ahh yes. Well, when you are immortal in my line of work, shit like that happens on a regular basis. So, I got a major healing power along with my other tricks. As long as the swords' in my hand, I can come back from anything." "Wow. Cool!" said Beast Boy. "You'd think so." Brett said sadly. "So, what now?" asked Robin. "Slade's plan may have failed, but he's still out there somewhere." "I think he's had enough for today." said Cyborg. "Even so, maybe we should do something about it." said Bartman. "Like what?" asked Star. "Well, frankly there's not much left in Springfield to protect anymore. My folks are probably planning to send me to military school again, and the others probably have similar problems. I say let's stay where the action is." "Not a bad plan." said Robin smiling. "Anymore thought on it?" "Well, we know these weirdoes around here, they could give us a spot to stay till we catch Slade." "Really? Because we still have room for a group of loud, annoying kids." The two leaders walked to each other. Looking directly in the eyes, they shook hands. "Until Slade's in jail, we'll help anyway we can." said Bartman. "I wouldn't have it any other way." Robin replied. "Then this just leaves one question." said Heatstrike. "Oh?" said Cyborg. "Who gets the Gamestation tonight?" The two of them Beast Boy and Polar locked eyes, then ran off in the direction of the Tower. The others watched for a moment, then began to walk after them.

THE END


End file.
